Messiah…Refreshed!

£8.00 – £18.00

The Goossens Messiah, recorded for the first and only time by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus under Sir Thomas Beecham, has stood as a landmark of the classical catalogue for sixty years. Goossens’ richly orchestrated version is set to reach a new audience thanks to Maestro Griffith and DCINY, New York City’s leading promoter of classical music. They gathered at Abbey Road Studios in London in July 2019, to record the work with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and a chorus comprising of sixty members of The Jonathan Griffith Singers, drawn from around the world and sixty members of the National Youth Choir of Great Britain. The new recording has captured the score’s vibrant tone colours in thrilling high-definition sound.

An acclaimed conductor, educator and lecturer, Dr. Jonathan Griffith has led performances across North America, Europe, and Asia. Griffith is Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY), which has brought together, under Griffith’s artistic leadership, thousands of musicians and choral singers in concert at prestigious venues across the United States, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Disney Hall. The founder and Music Director of the Distinguished Concerts Orchestra, Griffith also oversees DCINY’s mentoring program for conductors.

Founded in 1983 as a single choir of 100 of the best singers in the nation, the National Youth Choir is now the flagship ensemble of an Arts Council England National Portfolio youth music organisation and registered charity, the National Youth Choir of Great Britain (NYCGB), which runs five membership choirs, a nationwide outreach programme for schools and Music Hubs, and provides professional training for the next generation of choral singers, composers and leaders.

CD 1 – Part 1
1. Sinfonia (Overture)
2. Comfort ye my people
3. Ev’ry valley shall be exalted
4. And the glory of the Lord
5. Thus saith the Lord
6. But who may abide the day of his coming?
7. And he shall purify
8. Behold, a virgin shall conceive
9. O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion
10. For behold, drakness shall cover the earth
11. The people that walked in darkness
12. For unto us a child is born
13. Pifa (“Pastoral Symphony”)
14. There were shepherds abiding in the field
And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them
15. And the angel said unto them
16. And suddenly there was with the angel
17. Glory to God
18. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion
19. Then shall the eyes of the blind
20. He shall feed his flock
21. His yoke is easy, and his burthen is light

CD 2 – Part 2
1. Behold the Lamb of God
2. He was despised
3. Surely he hath borne our greifs
4. And with his stripes we are healed
5. All we like sheep have gone astray
6. All they that see him laugh him to scorn
7. He trusted in God
8. Thy rebuke hath broken his heart
9. Behold, and see if there be any sorrow
10. He was cut off out of the land of the living
11. But thou didst not leave his soul in hell
12. Lift up your heads, O ye gates
13. The Lord gave the word
14. How beautiful are the feet
15. Their sound is gone out
16. Why do the nations so furiously rage together?
17. Let us break their bonds asunder
18. He that dwelleth in heaven
19. Thou shalt break them
20. Hallelujah

Part 3
21. I know that my redeemer liveth
22. Since by man came death
23. Behold, I tell you a mystery
24. The trumpet shall sound
25. Worthy is the lamb that was slain